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Water and sanitation are a human right!

Water is a public good, not a commodity. We invite the European Commission to propose legislation implementing the human right to water and sanitation as recognised by the United Nations, and promoting the provision of water and sanitation as essential public services for all. The EU legislation should require governments to ensure and to provide all citizens with sufficient and clean drinking water and sanitation. We urge that:

The EU institutions and Member States be obliged to ensure that all inhabitants enjoy the right to water and sanitation.

Water supply and management of water resources not be subject to ‘internal market rules’ and that water services are excluded from liberalisation.

The EU increases its efforts to achieve universal access to water and sanitation.

Latest News

(25 June 2015) This morning the Environment and Public Health Committee together with the Development one voted by an absolute majority to send a strong message to the European Commission to act on the Human Right to water.

European Anti-Poverty Network

Aqua Publica Europea

Women in Europe for a Common Future

European Federation of Public Service Unions

European Trade Union Confederation

European Public Health Alliance

Social Platform

Ambassadors

Ondrej VETCHY

Famous Czech actor: "I traveled a lot and I had the opportunity to see and experience how important it is, that each person in the world has the right to drink clean water! Having a functional sanitary helps to reduce the spread of infectious diseases to a minimum"

Bertrand DELANOË

Maire de Paris

Mayor of Paris (France)

Glafkos HADJIPETROU

General Secretary

General Secretary PASYDY Trade Union (Cyprus): "I sign for the Human Right to Water"

Mr. Tommaso FATTORI

Founding member of the Italian Forum of Water Movements and one of the promoters of the successful 2011 Italian referendum against the privatization of water utilities: "Firstly, this is a matter of civilization. Universal access to water and sanitation is a basic human right, recognised by the UN General Assembly: now we ask the EU to act in line with this position, embracing and implementing such a fundamental right. This means stopping and immediately reversing the privatization of water utilities and the resulting commodification of water itself. But this is also a matter of democracy: the people of Europe should decide, and not the Troika, which follows the destructive prescriptions of neoliberal economics and exploits the crisis to destroy social rights and to privatize common goods and public services. Two years ago, in a popular Referendum, 27 million Italians voted against the privatization of water utilities and of local public services. This overwhelming victory shows us clearly that there is no such thing as a pre-ordained destiny: if we have the will, if we are capable of organizing, then we can defeat neoliberal policies. That is why it is now so crucial to sign and support the ECI on water, as the ECI is the first tool - however weak - of direct democratic participation provided at the European level, which gives voice to the people on what type of Europe we want: a Union based on real democracy, universal rights, common goods and public services for all. As citizens we can sign the ECI and become “legislators”, because we have no intention of letting the financial markets and the economic powers decide what our future should be"

Francisco BRAZ

President

President of STAL Trade Union (Portugal)"Water is an essential need for all people, it is a renewable good (through the water cycle) and irreplaceable. It is important that control over water remains in public hands and that water is governed as a human right. Only that way water is of us all and for us all”.
"A água é um bem indispensável a todas as pessoas, é um bem que sendo renovável não é insubstituível, que deve ser preservado e não esteja submetido ao objectivo de obtenção de lucros. É preciso que a água continue pública, é indispensável que ela continue pública e que seja gerida como um direito humano fundamental! Assim, a água será de todos e para todos!»

Kevin CALLINAN

Deputy General Secretary

Deputy General Secretary IMPACT Trade Union (Ireland): "I sign for the right to water"

Christian MEIDLINGER

President

President GdG-KMSfB, Austria

Frank Jensen

The Lord Mayor of Copenhagen

Lord Mayor of Copenhagen (Denmark)

Juris KALNINS

Chairman

Chairman LAKRS Trade Union (Latvia): "I sign for the Human Right to Water"

Anne HIDALGO

Candidate Mayor of Paris

Jean-Jacques JESPERS

Journalist and Professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)

Erik SWYNGEDOUW

Professor, Manchester University, UK: "Water is not just a human right, access to water is a matter of democratic equality".

Erhard BUSEK

Chairman of the Institute for the Danube region and Central Europe (IDM) in Vienna, Austria. "Water is life. The ecological situation for us will be more and more dependent on water. We have to do a lot to keep this condition of life available for everybody."